MaxShimba

JF-Expert Member

MaxShimba

JF-Expert Member

Turns out nobody wants a side of politics with their pizza. Public opinion of Papa John's dropped precipitously after CEO John Schnatter's public comments about Obamacare, according to a new study from YouGov BrandIndex, which researches brand perception for marketing directors, brand managers and PR reps. The site conducts thousands of interviews a day, providing real-time info that shows trends and responses to different marketing techniques or in this case, public gaffes.

The national pizza chain's YouGov score -- which the site uses as an indication of brand favorability -- dropped to four at the end of November, down from 32 on election day.

YouGov tracked the public's perception of three restaurants following anti-Obamacare comments made by company CEOs. Papa John's, Applebee's and Denny's all suffered a hit in consumer perception. Denny's score even fell to zero after franchise owner John Metz announced a five percent 'Obamacare surcharge' in November. The brand's score jumped up to a six shortly afterwards "potentially due to CEO John Miller's apologetic statement a few days later," according to the YouGov report.

Applebee's score dropped more than 25 points after Zane Tankel -- who owns 40 Applebee's in the New York area -- appeared on the Fox Business Network and expressed reluctance to expand because of the health care overhaul.